It has been a while since I’ve updated this site. Sorry! This announcement is an important one for anyone that has an auto-injector. There have been some cases of people not understanding quite how to remove the cap or handle the EPI-Pen properly resulting in accidents. Subject: Important Safety Information on the Correct Use of EpiPen® and EpiPen® Jr Auto-Injector Pfizer Canada Inc. (distributor of EpiPen for Dey Pharma, L.P.) in collaboration with Health Canada would like to remind patients of the correct method to remove the blue safety cap and of the importance of following the instructions for use of EpiPen (0.3 mg epinephrine auto-injector) and EpiPen Jr (0.15 mg epinephrine auto-injector). It has recently come to our attention that removal of the blue safety cap the wrong way by pulling it sideways or bending and twisting it off may prevent the device from working properly and potentially result in failure to deliver the drug. Read on for the full advisory. Share...

Dean’s Sweets We recently had the great pleasure of trying some hand-dipped truffles from Dean’s Sweets in Portland, Maine. Dean’s Sweets uses no nuts or nut products in their truffles, and several are also gluten-free. With intriguing flavours like Stout, Ginger, and Cayenne, we could hardly wait to get tasting. One thing our tasting panel noticed right off the bat was the wonderful quality of the chocolate. It was a deliciously rich, dark chocolate. It wasn’t the slightest bit waxy and it delivered a warm, slightly sweet cocoa flavour. The second thing we noticed was the absolutely natural flavour of the fillings. And the flavour intensity of the fillings was in perfect balance with that of the chocolate. We sampled eight flavours — Maple, Stout (which is also dairy-free and vegan), Ginger, Salt Caramel, Blueberry, Lemon-Apricot-Chevre, Coffee, and Cayenne. Top favourites of the tasting panel were the Salt Caramel, which would have quite a broad appeal (who doesn’t love sweet mixed with salty?), and Cayenne, which had a devilishly spicy punch. However, we enjoyed every one we tried. There was one child on our five-person panel, whose clear favourite was the Maple variety. But, these sweets are really geared toward those who really appreciate fine foods and are perfectly suited for adults to indulge in. Intriguing and satisfying, these are truffles are to savour and discuss. Dean’s Sweets is now also offering a collection of chocolate bars (un-tested 🙂 ) Shipping to Canada is not mentioned on their site but if you contact them they would be willing to give you the shipping price, which I can tell you is not very much. About the Truffle Maker Before and after the review. Phew! Share...

Two years ago I posted an article about how excited my nut-allergic son was about trying Sunbutter but that, in the end, he admitted he didn’t like it. How much difference two years makes — now he wants to eat it every day! We have been buying Sunbutter regularly because both my husband and I love to eat it; and a few months ago, my son asked to try it again. He said that he loves it, and he really meant it this time. Every day, he wants a Sunbutter and jam sandwich. He also often asks for a snack of Sunbutter on crackers or cookies. A five-pound tub of it is starting to look like a good idea. Share...

It’s great to see events like this. Thanks, Chicago Wolves!!! The Chicago Wolves will host “Peanut-Free Day” when the team takes on the Rockford IceHogs at the Allstate Arena on Sun., March 27, at 3 p.m. The entire Allstate Arena will be free of peanut products in order to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for fans with peanut allergies. In addition, $4 from each ticket purchased through the Wolves community relations department will be donated to the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. For more information, or to purchase tickets from the Wolves, contact Anthony Krzyzak at 847-832-1995, or akrzyzak@chicagowolves.com. Here is a link to the event pdf: http://chicagowolves.com/images/pdfs/1011_MOG-FAAN.pdf Share...

Jon sent us news of a new service website on the web that aims to help kids find safe homes to Trick or Treat at. I’ve checked it out and it’s really well done and easy to follow. All we need now is for EVERYONE to use it! Check out this news release and get your home listed too! I did and I hope it helps. Although many American children list Halloween as their favorite holiday, this is less often the case when – due to a dietary restriction – a child can’t enjoy the same candy as everyone else. But a new website is looking to change that. This fall, for the first time, NoTrickTreats.com will let children and their parents make a custom trick-or-treating map of their area, showing the homes that will be giving out Halloween treats that they can enjoy. Homes and business that will be serving specialty candy can mark themselves on the map, indicating whether their treats will be suitable for vegan, nut-free, diabetic, organic, kosher, gluten-free, or raw diets. “There’s no denying that Halloween is a blast”, says Jon Zornow – the site’s creator, “but it’s a candy-centric holiday, and it leaves a lot of kids feeling excluded.” Zornow, who is vegan, says he was inspired to create the site when he realized that if he had been vegan growing up, he would probably hate Halloween – and that vegan kids weren’t the only ones missing out. The site, NoTrickTreats.com, lets you find your neighborhood and search for homes by food specialty. It’s easy to use and user-friendly for trick-or-treaters of all ages and computer skills. Although it has only been online for a few days, Zornow says has been humbled by the positive response. “I’ve heard from numerous parents and bloggers who are excited to search and share their Halloween information. It feels good to be part of something that is helping the whole community.” Share...